Divers have recovered a suitcase containing the body of a woman from an acidic lake in Mitsero where authorities have been searching for three murder victims.

Police said that the suitcase contained the body of an adult woman in advance state of decomposition. They said that also found was a concrete block that was presumably used to weigh down the suitcase.

The operation started in the morning. The suitcase was retrieved a little before 2 pm today, Easter Sunday. State pathologist Nicos Charalambous was on site during the oepration.

A 35 year old Greek Cypriot army officer in custody for seven murders has told police he stuffed the bodies of three of his victims in suitcases and threw them in Kokkini Limni in Mitsero.

The suspect, who has admitted to killing five women and two children, said he had thrown the bodies of Livia Florentina Bunea, her eight year daughter Elena Natalia and Maricar Valdez Arquiola in the lake.

A robotic camera yesterday detected two suitcases in the lake and the search continues for a third suitcase.

CID chief Neophytos Shialos said that the second suitcase will probably be retrieved tomorrow.

The suitcase has been taken to the morgue.

Meanwhile, a search is expected to resume tomorrow at a lake at Xyliatou where divers are looking for the body of six year old Sierra – daughter of Marry Rose, whose body was found in an abandoned mine shaft at Mitsero.